


Odds and Ends

by artistocrazy



Series: The Demon Family AU [1]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Adolescence, Alternate Universe - 1980s, Alternate Universe - Foster Family, Alternate Universe - Middle School, Childhood, Childhood Trauma, Cold War, Coming of Age, Gen, Holocaust Mention, Middle School, Sibling Rivalry, Teenage Drama
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-11
Updated: 2019-08-08
Packaged: 2019-08-21 21:34:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16584620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artistocrazy/pseuds/artistocrazy
Summary: The year is 1985. In the wake of tragedy, Julia (14) and Monika (6) Beilschmidt have been separated from their family in East Berlin and end up in a foster care agency in Vienna. They don't stay for long and are soon whisked away by the Edelsteins - a family of bakers from Salzburg. Julia is thrilled to start living an awesome, flashy western life away from the DDR and indulge in all of the "typical" luxuries she'd been barred from. Well, maybe her life in Salzburg isn't so awesome or flashy or typical, because not only is she overly worried about caring for Monika and remaking herself, but she's stuck living  with a difficult foster brother who couldn't be any more opposite. Roderich (13) happens to be a classical music prodigy, with all the pretense that entails. Not to say he doesn't have his own challenges, what with being on performance hiatus and the onset of puberty. Coming from different worlds, Julia and Roderich wonder if it's possible for them to make a sibling dynamic work for however long the girls stay. However, given time and a few adventures, the unlikely siblings slowly come to understand what it means to be a family, to grow up, and come of age in a world that can make a kid feel at odds and ends.





	1. Skipping the School of Hard Knocks

**Author's Note:**

> This is a prequel to What the Music is For and exists within the same universe.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mid July, 1985, somewhere along the Austrian countryside.  
> A Friday afternoon.
> 
> With Monika by her side and her new caretakers across from them, Julia slowly eases into breaking her shell.

Julia struggled to contain herself as she gasped, seeing the rolling mountains forming out her window in the distance. The speed of the train car at first had her nervous, although she wouldn't tell little Monika, who clutched tightly to her side. The pair weren't used to smooth, fast rides. 

After the first half hour or so, they settled into the speed and the prospect of starting a new life in another country, seemingly worlds away from their own. No longer attached to her sister's side, Monika's face was practically glued to the window, absorbing the rolling land in her sight - how anchored those ranges remained while the fields turned to forests and the clouds fogged over them. 

Julia wasn't ready to join her yet. Sure, it made sense for a six-year-old to be so curious, but a teenager? Could be suspicious. Julia gripped tightly to her book, hoping any observer might mistake her jitters for literary investment. 

Julia was torn between reading her book and peering over it at the older couple across from her. The gentleman reminded Julia of Monika, as well as another old man she knew, with his stone-faced expression. For the most part, the differences between Moni and this man were in the wrinkles and obviously the build. The little book he was reading should have looked awkward, cradled delicately by labored hands. Occasionally, he would glance up solicitously at the hallway, keeping quiet tabs on their surroundings. His eyes would shift quickly, but with just enough time for the girl to tell they weren't as cold as that frosty, greyish blue suggested at first sight. If it weren't for such brief glances, an observer might assume this was a normal traveling group. 

He spoke very little compared to the smaller woman beside him with her hand placed gingerly on his knee, who could put any question of abnormality over the group to rest with her subdued, pleasant attitude. The woman was admittedly quiet and reserved, but when she smiled and spoke she was far from antisocial, and she certainly could not help but dote warmly at the sight of Monika's curiosity. She nearly seemed like a duchess, casually waiting for her tea, while her guard was on the lookout. 

Her voice cut through the muted roll and droning vibration of the wheels from outside like a semi-stilted clarinet. "Your sister seems to like the view," the regal woman observed over her round glasses. 

The child's neck was craned all the way back, and Julia had to bite down a snicker at any poor sap peering back at the whites of her eyes from the other side. 

"Yeah," Julia shrugged, slipping the book away and checking Monika's seatbelt was fastened. "Mountains are pretty overwhelming for her. Y'know... big world, little girl."

"Indeed," Frau Edelstein mused. "Has Monika ever seen mountains before?"

Julia leaned back, switching back and forth between looking at her sister and her foster parents. She struggled to remain quiet and casual. "I mean, she and I have seen hills before, but, Gott, nothing like those. You could probably shout as loud as you want up there, and no one would  hear you."

The duchess's violet eyes seemed to glisten from behind her rosy cheeks. For someone as frail-looking as her, she seemed far from sickly. "It is quite spacious where we are. And I am sure you and Monika will adore the view from our back porch. We are able to see the most incredible mountain ranges every day."

For a moment, Julia gave in to looking out the window, but found a way to keep her cool. She wasn't quite sure why she needed to calm down - the excitement or the fear. 

She had to brush it off, switch onto another question. It was small talk - the sense of it didn't matter. "Do you climb them?"

And for a moment Julia thought her stomach flipping was the fear of standing out too much, looking too stupid. What business would two old people like them have mountain climbing? 

Without skipping a beat, Frau Edelstein answered. "We go on family hikes sometimes, though not as much as we once did. I have lived in Salzburg all of my life, and I can tell you it is quite difficult to live so close and to not want to explore. Though having marked trails helps for some of us who are not as hardy or experienced." With that last phrase, she pat her husband's knee, and the look he gave her had Julia fighting a snicker.

The girl kept deflecting. "Family hikes, huh? Right! I keep forgetting you already have kids."

"You mean you keep forgetting you both have three new brothers now," the duchess smiled warmly. 

The idea of a new family was a little hard for Julia to swallow still, but she returned the grin politely. "Besides, they're not really kids anymore," Frau Edelstein continued on with a wistful shrug. "Except for one. I believe he's about your age. The other two are all grown up. At least, in theory."

Julia rubbed her neck. "Sorry. I know you've mentioned them a couple of times, but they're still kind of hazy to me."

"Oh, that's an easy remedy," The duchess simpered. "What would you like to know?"

"Well, their names again, for starters."

Suddenly Herr Edelstein piped up, with a kind smile and that voice that always seemed gentler than expected of him. "Hans, Bernard, Roderich."

"You'll get to meet Hans and Roderich tonight" Frau Edelstein continued. "Bernard left for Uni in Amsterdam earlier this week, but I have no doubt we will hear from him soon. The boys are working on room rearranging and our dinner as we speak. You two will be staying in Roddli's old room - it has more space for the two of you, and you'll also get to drink in the mountain view from the window as much as you like."

"Sweet," Julia nodded. "That ought to be nice for Moni."

Looking back to her little sister, Julia noticed Monika had seated herself again and was starting to doze off on her shoulder, her eyes in and out of drooping. Wrapping her arm around the little one, Julia let her sister snuggle closer. 

"We hope you'll both be comfortable staying with us. We're all very excited to have you with us and to show you everything Salzburg has to offer. I'm sure you and the boys will get along splendidly, especially you and Roddli. He is a musician as well. Piano and violin. He was thrilled to hear that you play clarinet."

Julia hummed, looking down and stroking down Moni's short, blonde hair. "Well, it's been a while since the last time I played, considering I don't have one anymore. At least, not with me anyway... I miss it though."

"I'd be happy to shop around with you tomorrow at market to get one for you before school starts, if you'd like. I've frequented many music shops around the city and I know quite a few distributors personally. I'm sure we can pair you with a good one."

Julia's eyes perked up to the duchess, and the small gasp that escaped her did not go unnoticed by the guard, who peeked up from his book. There was a glimmer in Julia's eye, something remotely hopeful and heartwarming regarding all the pair had hoped to provide for these two lost girls. "You guys would really do that for me?"

"Naturally," Herr Edelstein softened his speech and allowed the girls to see a gentle smile. "We agreed to care for you as part of our family. That includes ensuring you are happy and well-adjusted, within our power."

Gripping one of her husband's hands, Frau Edelstein attempted to fan that excited flame as discretely as possible. "Perhaps this Sunday, if the weather is nice, we can all go hiking together as a family. If you would like to, of course."

Julia's eyes dimmed a little as she looked over again at the sleepy Moni and deflated a bit.  _Family_  was going to be a hard word to get used to, and she knew they were doing their best within their current circumstances. She just wasn't immediately ready to see it that way. She wasn't sure she could forgive herself, if she did. 

Especially if her parents were still alive. 

Wherever they were.

There was just still something about this pair in particular that seemed different - more committed, more familiar with their world. 

Maybe it really was different for the better this time.

The thought of that scared her.

"Hey," the girl piped up delicately, "Ah... We get that you're... I know that... I'm not an easy kid to deal with. I get that. I'm not a cute, little girl like her-"

"I would argue that," Frau Edelstein countered.

"You know what I mean," Julia continued, touching her face a little. The couple took special notice of the scar on her cheek and the weariness in her voice. "I'm not new to this. I know you know about my file, and I realize the kind of chance you're taking on me... I promise you, I'm not a bad kid. I'm trying. I really am, for her. I made a promise to keep her safe. If anything, that's what's gotten me in trouble. I can't ever break that promise. We've lost so much already. I can't lose her, too." 

"You won't. You're a good sister," Herr Edelstein stated earnestly, his warm eyes speaking louder than his words. "You two should rest," the man stated, taking off his jacket and handing it to Julia. "Don't worry. You'll have plenty more chances to do so after this. We are truly happy to welcome the both of you into our home."

As she curled more toward little Moni and wrapped the jacket over the two of them, Julia let her eyelids waver watching the trees zoom by her while the mountains and clouds dragged across her view. 

Would they find some stability in the mountains? Would they find a new start, as clear as the sky was becoming before Julia's eyes? For Monika's sake, the East German girl sure hoped so. 


	2. Dethroned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mid July, 1985, at the Edelstein residence.  
> A Friday afternoon.
> 
> While preparing their room, Roderich muses over how being an older brother would be worth all of the sacrifice he was set to endure.

Roderich squinted and adjusted the lenses further up the bridge of his nose, observing himself smugly in the mirror. With a hum, he turned his face a few times to get better angles of how the glasses looked on him, pouting slightly. The frames may not have been in style; however, they angled enough to downplay the pudge in his cheeks, and that was all he was really after. His days of looking boyish were over. They had to be. As of this past year, he was a man.

Well... as much a man as he figured a 13 year old could be, anyway. But this was the real start of it, in that he was making meaningful sacrifices for the sake of other people. He had a steady job now - real responsibilities to uphold - and he was going to prove he was ready to handle them. 

Could he take over for Bernard in the bakery? Of course he could. He wouldn't have been asked to, if his parents didn't think he could do it. 

Could he resign himself to practicing at night? Giving up the life of a performer for four or so years? It was only four years. So long as he wore his gloves and kept up his practice, that would be fine. 

Could he brave not being the baby of the family anymore? Being an older brother? Oh, he could hardly wait! Frankly, it was about time people started seeing him for the man he was becoming. For the man looking back at him who looked like he had it together, a seeming master of the no-nonsense scowl. 

"What are you doing with Vati's old reading glasses?"

The voice startled Roderich to turn toward the doorframe, with a reflexive, 'brave' jump and 'manly' shriek. The glasses flew off his face and he desperately grasped for their arms. Hans stifled a laugh at his kid brother while leaning in the bathroom doorway.

Roderich sputtered it before thinking, "Nothing."

His older brother snorted through his nose. "Something."

Rolling his eyes and sticking his nose in the air, Roderich tried to regain his composure under his brother's watch, placing the spectacles back on his face. 

 "You know," Hans continued on, reaching for his own comb to tidy his beard, "those other kids are going to call your a Four-Eyes when they catch you wearing those."

Roderich glared over his shoulder at him, squinting his eyes as he pushed the glasses further up his face. The boy scoffed. "As compared to the other things they call me? I think I'll live with that as the prevailing taunt."

Hans shook his head, bending his knees to peer from behind his little brother's shoulder. "Tsk. Tsk. Roddli, can you even see through those?"

Whipping his head around defensively, the boy tried to test if looks really could kill. He only stared back at the blurry mess still living and giving him a headache in more ways than one. "Don't you have a dinner to cook?"

Ruffling little Roddli's hair, Hans's smile twisted wryly as he felt his brother squirm and fight against his hold. After a moment, he let Roderich down. "Don't have a cow. It'll be sitting in the oven for another 20 minutes. I thought I'd check up on you, see how the room was coming along."

Hans started to wander down the hall to assess the damage, and Roderich quickly began smoothing down his shirt and fixing his hair. The boy did his best to answer nonchalantly, letting go of his defensiveness so as to not sound too suspicious. "It's coming along fine."

"You only cleared off the bed," Hans called him from the other room, observing how little his brother appeared to have completed in the span of a few hours. "What about all of these clothes on the floor?"

Roderich called back, not doing the best job at reigning in the attitude. "Do you  _not_  see the laundry basket sitting by the doorway?"

"Okay, fine. I stand corrected," Hans sassed him back. "You changed the sheets, too."

"It's not that simple, you know," Roderich rebuttled, walking back into his room and fluffing up the pillows. "Putting on a fitted sheet is a full body exercise. Excuse me for needing to take a small break. Besides, I said it was _coming along fine_  - not that it was  _finished_."

Stroking his beard, he took note of how Roderich was moving around and scanning the room nervously. Today might have been a challenge for the boy, but God forbid anyone let Roderich know that. 

"You know," Hans started, "they're expected to be back any minute now, and the kitchen's nearly all prepared. You're sure you don't want any help?"

"I don't  _need_  any help moving  _my_  things," Roderich responded with a raised chin and a brief, condescending smile as he briskly aired out the blankets, taking comfort from the breeze blowing back at him. "I  _said_  I would do it on my own, and so I am doing it. It will be this way, too, with work at the bakery, na? Why would you expect anything different from me than what you and Bernard did, if I can now work there, too? I'm telling you - I can handle this."

"Okay, I believe you," the man responded, keeping a level-head and remembering the little jackass was giving up a lot compared to normal. "I just don't want you to overwhelm yourself. That's all."

"I'm not overwhelmed," Roderich shot back defiantly, either clearly lying or clearly fed up with being rightfully doubted in the moment. "If I were by something as simple as this, then I'm sure Vati wouldn't think I could work in the bakery, now would he?"

Pursing his lips but keeping his cool, Hans sighed. His voice was calm, but it was clear he'd mastered the "if looks could kill" glare long ago. If there were a stern edge to his voice, then only his younger brothers could pick up on it. "Alright, Four-Eyes. No need to get huffy with me. But don't strain yourself this weekend. We have a lot of family bonding to do, and it's harder to do that when we're out and you're here alone."

That gaze had been known to make Roderich focus quickly on what he was doing, and he visibly shrank under it yet again. While he was still irked by the intrusion, his protests had their familiar whiny twinge. "I know. I'll get back to work as soon as you let me. You can hover over me when I'm sweeping the floors on our shifts so I don't "strain" myself. Is that good enough for you?"

"Alright, I'll leave you be. All they really need is a place to sleep at the end of the day. But at least feel free to pick up your dirty underwear before they get home. Girls aren't crazy about not knowing what your floor looks like, especially if they're sleeping in the room. Trust me - it doesn't make a good first impression."

As soon as Hans left the doorway, Roderich went back to work in a huff. Once he was sure Hans was gone, he shut the door and moved to check his desk drawer. Thank goodness all of his sheet music and notes remained untouched, barely even so by the light creeping in from his window. It certainly had gotten late. He sighed, feeling his exhaustion catch up with him.

He would be damned if he admitted to his fatigue it to Hans or Bernard, though neither one would blame him for it. So long as he could help it, he would make his brothers start to recognize his independence, and the more he could start to be recognized as a man, the easier he figured manhood would be. No longer would he let himself be coddled or viewed as delicate. He had responsibilities now, sacrifices to make - all for the sake of family. For the sake of his new sisters.

Sisters. After living in a house with two loud, boisterous, nuisance-causing older brothers, they were what he'd hoped to have. Sisters, who would call gently up the stairwell if they needed anything. Sisters, who probably would want as little danger brought to them as possible and wouldn't do anything to cause it. Sisters, with whom he could have a prayer of behaving civilly in the house. Sisters, who might be comforted by his music rather than bored of it. Younger sisters, who needed support and friendship, who had to be traumatized and frightened of living in a new environment with few people to turn to for help.

This would be the first great test of his adult life: not working in the bakery, not cutting back on his music. It would be the test of being a good older brother - the best older brother he could be. He knew he wasn't the most socially resourceful or the most willing to fight for even himself, but he figured anything he could offer these two girls would be enough, so long as he tried to be a friend.

That was the best way he could accept this life change - he'd help change the lives of two kids for the better and show he did more than simply live to be thirteen. The boy could maybe live with being an older brother, if it meant setting a better example than his own. He could live with this fantasy. He could live with these life changes.

He could live with them, that is, until he heard that shrill, shouting voice from outside of his window that could crack the lenses on those glasses.


	3. Chapter 3 - So Help Me, Red Eyes!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rest of the family arrives home, and our two foster siblings finally make their first impressions.  
> Rod tries to take it well - we'll see how he does.

It was her first attempt at any kind of yodeling, and Julia didn't care if it sounded like a barrage of noise - she was free to make it once she was out of the car. It could echo back to her from those ranges miles across from her, and she wouldn't have cared. In fact, she wanted to hear it. She wanted to hear herself. She wanted to be loud! Loud and flashy and ready to indulge in this great new world around her. What kid wouldn't want to be loud here, with all this space?

Well, that question could be answered in with two different examples. The first was little Monika, who was reluctant to leave the car and silently clung onto Julia's shoulders, her eyes wide with trepidation. The small child's wily eyes were not what concerned the older couple traveling with them, the most concerned being Frau Edelstein. No, the most concerning thing about Monika's reaction was that she remained unresponsive and silent. She had no smile, no tears, no cries – not a peep.

Julia would make up all the peeping for the two of them, as she heartily laughed and bounced her sister as she paced around the yard. "Come on, Moni! We've gotta start to sound like a real Austrians now! Come on! Greet the neighbors with me! Say halloooooo!" Julia let out another obnoxious howl that divulged into laughter. Moni just stared from Julia's shoulders in silence, huddling herself under her sister's long hair.

Example number two was watching the whole scene break down from his window, cringing every time the girl screeched like a crow. He made a futile attempt to reason the girls playing piggy back and shouting at the sky couldn't possibly be his new sisters.  They had to be tourists just passing through. Mutti and Vati were on their way to pick up his sisters, and they stumbled across two lost German girls and have been trying desperately to find their parents. Yes, that had to be it. That would be the only reason these two girls would be anywhere near the house. They couldn't be the ones his parents told him he'd adore. It seemed plausible.

It seemed plausible until Roderich was startled by a knock at his bedroom door.

Hans cleared his throat before speaking, turning his little brother around. "Hey, do you want to come be useful and help me with the girl's luggage? They're not sleeping in the car."

Deflating upon letting the realization sink in, Roderich tried to collect himself as he and Hans descended the stairwell. Opening the door, both brothers were greeted with an unexpected sight. The elder sister was coming up the stairs outside with all their luggage in tow, while keeping the little girl on her back.

"I promise you, Frau E," she called over her shoulder, barging her way into the house, "Don't let me spoil my youth! I've got this!" Slipping her way past the boys, Julia grunted as she dropped the suitcases to the floor, taking in the house's inner echo. With a deep breath, she whipped around with a wild grin on her face.

"Thanks for getting the door! Your mom probably would have fainted if I tried to open it with my foot," Julia snickered. "I won't lie, though. Busting through would have been a good time!"

Roderich stared back at her, his mouth agape. The boy was completely lost for words. He had this interaction planned out in his head. He was prepared to speak to a quiet, bookish, clarinet player. Now it was shattered to pieces, starting that piercing, raspy, shrill voice. 

Thankfully, Hans could jump right in, introducing himself and welcoming the girls with open arms. Julia gladly took the offer and proceeded to squeeze him into a tight hug – an embrace Roderich became more and more apprehensive at watching. He swore he could hear something cracking in Hans' back, but his brother didn't seem to mind.

Once the two new siblings separated, Roderich started to back away upon registering the mischievous glint in those red eyes. Good Lord, she had red eyes! Before he could shake his head, he felt Julia's arms sweep him up and trap him like a vice.

While the rest of his family was used to these unapologetic displays of affection amongst themselves, Roderich was the exception. The boy's coddling went so far that it seemed any time a family member would hug or handle him they would do so as if he were made of glass. Even his brothers exercised restraint in front of him - this he knew for sure, just from seeing them roughhouse. Roderich did not ever truly roughhouse. And in that moment, the little master had no choice but to understand that fully, especially as Julia squeezed tighter and lifted him from the floor.

Roderich was too overcome with shock and pain to say anything, now completely frozen up and silent beyond quietly straining in her grasp. Thankfully, little Moni noticed the boy's face start to turn red and she tapped at Julia's head to get her attention.

Opening her eyes for a moment at the touch, the East German girl caught the signal and dropped Roderich to the floor. Finally freed, the boy let out a few coughs and gasped for air, leaning onto the wall for support. He really had to wonder what the hell they were feeding those East Germans.

"Best hug of your life, right?" Julia boasted, completely lost in her excitement. "I get that a lot. Let me help you back up there."

Before Roderich could hoarsely muster his protest, Julia strung him up to stand almost like a puppet from under his armpits. In his shock from feeling his feet rise off the floor again, Roderich panicked to bend his knees as he landed. The boy grit his teeth and let out a groan as the pain shot up his legs from landing his feet so flatly and sharply on the floor. Thank goodness he wasn't too far from furniture to lean on.

It was a groan, however, Julia didn't immediately hear. "All better!" she exclaimed, dusting her hands off and taking a deep breath, letting her joy steam out of her in increments.

"Ah..." Julia snapped her fingers a couple of times and looked to the floor. "So I know Bernard's not here, so you must be... your names were Hans, Bernard, and... and, ah... no, no, don't tell me."

"Rod-"

"Rodney!" the East German girl interjected, finally looking up from the floor. "Yes! Rodney! I remember!"

"No," Rod coughed, "it's-"

"Jo," Hans interrupted him, a cruel grin gracing his lips. "Genau. Rodney. Good memory. He'll take your things to your new room, once you both catch your breath."

"Nah, I won't make you do that," the East German girl dismissed them both, snatching up her bags again. "Lead the way! I'll even slow down for you!"

"Please let us take something," Hans implored. "You must be tired from your trip. We don't mind. Dinner is nearly ready. You might as well take a seat in the dining room. We can handle your bags."

Julia sped right along towards the stairs, lugging the bags and bouncing on her feet. Moni still held on, though she was disturbingly casual about the exchange now. "Me? Tired? After a whole trip of sitting down? Hah! Oida, you must have me confused. That is the word you guys use, right? Oida? I've been hearing it everywhere! Oida this, oida that-"

On and on the girl went, with her voice echoing around the house and triggering a small, steady headache for Roderich. Even upon finally  recovering from the initial shock, he still felt the need to lie down. He couldn't have prepared himself for this much excitement in an evening; however, the night was young, and he hoped the East German's overwhelming excitement was coincidental. A brief explosion of rapturous joy preceding a calm, quiet evening. That was normal, he supposed. As irritating as it was, it made sense. He could wait it out...

* * *

Dinner was longer than Roderich anticipated. Or rather, it felt that way. The tiny headache from before had only gotten worse in such a small space. It all seemed to start piling on when Julia rather brazenly asked what they had to drink. More specifically, about the family's beer selection. When Hans rightfully laughed in her face, she shrugged and agreed, claiming it'd probably be too embarrassing for him to be drunken under the table by a teenager. Just the mere implication that the two were getting on over drinking, of all things, made Roderich's head start to spin. And the idea that she could have nearly had her way over it picked at his nerves. How it could have been that easy for her to get... irksome!

Secondly, he didn't quite realize how loud Julia's voice was until they had all sat down to eat. The East German's voice echoed louder in the dining room, and combined with all the other noises it made it was nearly impossible to respond to anything clearly. Not only was it a struggle to think clearly in all of the chatter, but one also had to deal with every obnoxious sound Julia made while eating. Had she never thought to close her mouth when dining in a group? Had she any concept of shame or disgust?  This was how she wanted to make a first impression?

It was possible that maybe her complete disregard for table manners was meant to express gratitude and delight at the meal. The girl certainly went on to compliment it as she ate, rarely stopping between shoveling more in. Was that a German thing? A Prussian pride thing, that she kept claiming of herself in ignorance of her audience? It seemed believable to him: as far as he could tell, tact didn't seem to be on that notable list of Prussian virtues. It crossed Rod's mind that maybe they didn't have meals like this at that adoption center in Vienna, but to pack it away so quickly Rod knew she would make herself sick. He was starting to get sick just being in the same room listening to it.

What prompted him to brave hearing Julia go on more was all of her stories about traveling East Germany with Monika. They were perhaps the most ridiculous, far-fetched tales he'd ever heard. Escaping collapsing uranium mines, running through fields of old explosives, squatting in abandoned buildings, single-handedly fighting the Stazi: she heartily boasted all kinds of adventures.

Not being one to make brash accusations outright, Roderich probed the East German further with the simplest observations, hoping to poke holes in her anecdotes so she'd stop insulting his family's intelligence. His dry delivery was noticeable to everyone else in the room with the exception of the German girls. Or at least one German girl anyway: Moni was still much too hard to read. Even the way she looked at Julia was hard to place.

And yet everyone else still played along with it! Hans goaded her on into the heights of her pride, encouraging her to go on with the gutsy details. Mutti wanted to hear about the East German countryside, all of the cities the girls visited that she had heard so little of since her youth. Vati kept quiet, but looked like he was listening intently throughout Julia's spiels, even laughing with her over some of it. 

And so on Julia would talk and talk... And on Roderich would eat more to try distracting himself. And the sicker he would feel - a cross between overeating and losing his appetite over everything around him. 

He barely cared where in the conversation they were - Roderich stood up and excused himself from the table. He heard laughter following him after a remark from Julia: a remark he was too ill to fully absorb or react to hearing. Probably something about the drinking age in Austria and temperaments. The laughter from the dining room echoed from behind him, but he used the way the sound traveled to the front room to take it in like a surreal, bad dream. As far as he was concerned, Berlioz couldn't have written something so harrowing to him.

Elevating his legs and allowing his extended stomach to have some air and space, he tried waiting out the pain by staring up at the ceiling and breathing deeply. He took off his glasses to rest his eyes from the blur, but really he felt everything blur even with them off. 

Staying still was the only thinkable thing to do without feeling any sicker. He couldn't sit upright to play piano like he so desperately needed. He couldn't ascend the stairs to his room. Thank God he didn't need to use the restroom - he didn't think he could make it that far. He was content to remain an island, secluded from a civilization that let such obnoxious laughter ring out through the house. 

It was his last hope - he'd close his eyes, wake up, and be back in his room completely undisturbed and untouched. It was a comforting notion, a calming possibility as he began to drift. 


	4. When It Hits the Pfann

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Julia spends a night cleaning her new room, and she’s left to deal with the shock of its previous owner.

Julia wasn’t completely unfamiliar with waking up to screaming, though anytime it wasn’t her own was cause for alarm, and the loud shriek at the door caused her to quickly rouse from sleep and check her surroundings. She felt her head reeling after thrusting it up from the floor and whipping it around to find Moni tucked into the bed above her. It took her a moment to remember how she had spent the latter half of the evening making her new room as tidy and spotless as possible, knowing she’d lose sleep over it regardless of her choice. Through strands of hair in her face, she soon recognized the spindly figure in the doorway: the room’s former owner and likely suspect for the scream.

Julia groaned, her voice sounding frog-like in her groggy state. “Moin, ah... you.”

"What is the meaning of this?!” The boy panicked, his face redder than she thought possible. He sputtered off like a piping kettle, clearly unable to read the room in his hysterical state. Geez, this guy was loud, and that constant voice-cracking wasn’t a pleasant wake up call, though maybe Moni was getting an early morning laugh at his spastic movements. “Where is- Why did- How could you-"

She rolled over onto her side and pushed herself up, forgetting to give a damn about manners when it was stupid o’clock in the morning. "Spit it out, Richard."

Now, she wasn’t sure if that did it, but it certainly did something as he hissed back as a shaken, angry mess. "It's Roderich!"

Rolling her eyes, she dragged herself up to stand and rubbed her temples as soon as she sat on the foot of the bed. "Ugh, fine. Roderich. Whatever."

"This is not whatever!” he cried. “What have you done to my room!?"

"You mean our room," she corrected him, pointing between herself and little Moni, now seated upright on the bed. "I cleaned it. You're welcome."

"Cleaned it?! You've stripped it bare! It's all gone!"

“Ja, you can almost hear an echo,” Julia responded dryly, letting a twisted smile creep onto her face. He couldn’t be this dense to not understand when people needed sleep. “Oh, wait. Maybe that’s just you and those hills out there. Knew I shouldn’t have left the window open.”

“This isn’t funny,” he railed. “Where is it? What have you done with it?”

She rolled her eyes at him as she wrapped herself under the covers and turned her back to him. "What, your grass? Didn’t see any but, boy, am I sorry you misplaced it.”

“You’re not funny! Do you realize what you’ve done!?!”

“Cleaned out all the trash? Again, you’re welcome."

There was a moment of silence, one Julia hoped meant that the little tyrant had taken the hint and left them alone. The low, shaky voice that broke it maybe should have been a larger concern, but Julia was too busy biting her lip at how ridiculously non-threatening the boy remained, even from dropping his voice.

"Trash? How dare you! Those were my things! They were not trash!"

The East German scoffed, rolling over some to face him more directly. "Oh, so you were going to patch all those pairs of underwear and save them for a rainy day. Sure. Okay."

And off he sputtered again, rapid-fire, to Julia’s obvious amusement. "I put them on the chair! They weren't any of your business! That-”

Noticing her mocking snicker, Roderich reigned himself in and stood up straighter, peering down at her through the glasses. He didn’t have to feel small, or be the only one feeling small. “I don't need to explain myself to you. You should be explaining yourself to me!"

"Fine... Raymond."

"Rod-"

"I don't care,” she grumbled with a halting hand as she let Moni down from the mattress and prepared to turn around to sleep, where the little one slipped past Roderich through the door frame and down the stairs. “I wasn't going to let my kid sister sleep in a pigsty. Just because we're from East Germany doesn't mean we have to keep living like it."

"Excuse you?! I prepared it perfectly fine for the evening. I was going to get started on moving out today while you were out at the market."

This brat really didn’t know when to shut up and let people sleep. She gestured wildly to the space and spoke a little clearer. "Well, you're welcome anyway, Specs. I just saved you a whole three hours of work."

She couldn’t have seen how wide his eyes had gotten, how he was shaking like a volcano set to blow. The nerve! The audacity! The blatant disrespect he was just... letting happen!

"Specs!?” He sputtered. “Why don’t you say that to- Wait a minute...” he was quickly swept up in surprise and confusion. “Three hours?”

"Uh, ja?" She glared at him over her shoulder.

"You mean to tell me you did all of this,” he gestured to the room, “in three hours?!"

Julia rolled onto her back, running her hands through her hair and tugging a little upon realizing he wouldn’t let her sleep. "Look, you already didn't take three hours out of any day you knew we were coming to do this."

And the offense was back, boiling just as before if not more scolding. Not that she would have known better to go there, but she’d seemed like the type to care less even if she did.

"Ex-cuse you! Who are you to tell me what I did and did not do while you weren't here? You have no idea of the amount of work I put into this!"

"Oh, ja,” she jeered from under the covers. “Clearing off the bed and leaving your dirty laundry on the floor and on your chair as extra blankets. How noble of you, your majesty. We should be so lucky to see your drawers all over the place."

"I picked those up for you!"

"And put them on your desk chair?” Julia taunted louder. “You think that's an improvement? Don't you have a clothes bin or a hamper for that?"

The quiet was back again for the moment, but the panic and urgency had returned in Roderich’s voice. "Did you touch my desk?"

"What?"

He stormed into the room and bellowed it this time, making it a point to push past any of those pesky voice breaks. "DID you! Touch my desk?!"

"What? No!” The girl sat up, hoping she could convince him of how ridiculously dramatic he was being. “Why?” she taunted, finding sick humor in his furious state. “Are you hiding something in there, Princess?"

"It's my DESK! Have you no concept of respecting someone else's property!?"

"Have you no concept of letting people sleep in when they're tired?"

“If you’d just gone to bed at a decent hour and minded your business-”

“Well, if you just took some initiative and cleaned your stupid room with other people in mind-”

"What on Earth is going on up here?” Another voice broke into the mix from the hallway: a voice Julia was surprised to hear so forcefully at the door. Frau Edelstein stomped closer and closer to the room and let the shock set in upon viewing the room. “What is all this... Oh my goodness."

The group just stared amongst each other for a moment and breathed. The only one moving was Moni, who had followed Frau Edelstein back up the stairs and who had made her way over to Julia.

After a quiet pause and after tearing her eyes away from the room she hadn’t seen so tidy in years (seriously - not even a dust particle in the light from the window), Frau Edelstein opened up to speak. “Gruß Gott.”

“... Guten Morgen, Frau E.”

“... We are having breakfast now. This is what your younger brother meant to tell you.”

Rod felt those words crawl under his skin, nearly causing him to shudder and shrink. He could tell he was in trouble just by that tone of voice, but his mother must have realized it couldn’t have been just his fault. Had she even heard their argument at all? Had she heard the awful things this girl had said? Didn’t Mutti realize how much damage this cleaning could have done? How he would need a day to survey it, ensure his treasures were preserved? Had he nothing left?

Well, had Mutti heard anything, it seems this East German girl was keen on her forgetting it. Her eyes lit up as she took in a grateful whiff of the air and felt Moni tugging on her hand with her full weight to get her out of bed. “Ja! I can smell it from here! Mmmm! Pfannekuchen?”

Rod turned up his nose at the word. “Meinen Sie Palatschinken?”

“It doesn’t really matter, Roddli,” Mutti looked at him sternly. “Anyway, breakfast is ready for you both. I recommend we all come downstairs and eat up, so you’ll be bright and ready for our big day at the market!”

“Toll!” Julia bounded to her feet, giving Moni a rest from trying to pull her out from under the covers, and she pushed past Roderich by the door. “Save some for me down there!”

Before Frau Edelstein could lead her son downstairs, Roderich planted his feet and spoke, all while holding and leaning on the doorframe.

“I’m sorry, Mutti. I have no appetite,” Rod winced, placing a hand over his stomach. “I must still be unwell from yesterday.”

His mother sighed, and though she did feel a semblance of guilt, she also felt a semblance of frustration at the thought of losing much needed bonding time. “Do you feel as though you can’t join us at the market today?”

“Please don’t let me slow you down,” the boy pleaded. “I should be fine on my own today.”

Biting her lip and looking to the floor with a sharper sigh, the older woman did her best to shake feeling like his words were an excuse. With him, she could never really tell, and already he braved one argument today. She wasn’t going to jump into another when this was supposed to be a weekend of welcome. This was a conversation for later.

“Will you at least come downstairs and sit with your family? You don’t have to eat anything. Please, just sit with us. Vati and I want you all to bond. It’s very important to us, and I’m sure it will make a world of difference for your sisters.”

Rod made the mistake of looking up at his mother’s pleading face as she gently brushed his hair out of his eyes. She had a special talent of making him feel guilty, but even so it still came from a place of love and the idea that he was capable of doing better. And he did trick his parents into thinking he could handle all of this. Who was he to let them down, if they believed him? They weren’t completely beyond reason.

He slumped his shoulders down and relented, begrudgingly following his mother down the hallway into the kitchen. He hadn’t heard Julia’s voice echo on their path - maybe there was hope they could still be in the same room together.


	5. Breakneck Breakfast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so the fun family bonding weekend begins, or does it really?

Any pain in Julia's neck and shoulders was easily forgotten, upon eating what might have been the butteries, fluffiest pancakes of her life, which were made even better with the sight of Moni eating then that way, too. In all actuality, their breakfast could have been a pleasant picture of a family breakfast during a Saturday morning. Hans, while having clearly rolled out of bed not too long ago, was yawning contentedly over his coffee. Herr Edelstein was relaxed in his chair and leafing through some papers. From what Julia could tell, it looked like a map.

"My, you must have been hungry!" Frau E observed, quite pleased at the girls taking advantage of the delicious and daunting display of breakfast food. Hans could barely hope to compete with their enthusiasm.

"Oh, ja," Julia munched, "We found Robbie's grass stash while I was cleaning, so you better not be expecting any leftovers."

For a brief moment, Herr Edelstein's eyes peered up, back to keeping watch, though this time there was clearly a flash of parental concern. Hans nearly spit out his apple juice upon hearing that, but moreso at the appalled look on little Roddli's slack-jawed face. Oh, she had really gotten to him this morning. Bernard would be so proud.

"I do _not smoke_ marijuana," the boy declared to the room, eyeing Julia with adamant irritation.

"We know," Julia and Hans droned together, and upon registering their responses, the two high-fived from across the table.

"Oh, sit _down_ , sit _down_ ," Frau E hushed them. "Roddli, are you absolutely sure you don't want anything, even just to wake up?" Her question might have seemed innocent, but she knew better. She heard his stomach gurgling all the way downstairs.

The boy really was a terrible liar, so much so that his eyes betrayed him at the sight of thesyrup dripping from those pancakes. "I... I shouldn't."

"Oh, we think you should," the East German pushed the pancake plate towards him with wicked eyes.

"I don't care what _you_ think."

"Hey," Frau E scolded. "There is no need to be nasty."

"Roddli, take some bread and coffee," Herr Edelstein gestured over the table. "You'll need something before we venture out today."

"Roderich still isn't feeling well," Frau E informed him from behind.

"Oh," Herr Edelstein sighed, "I'm sorry. Does that mean you won't be joining us today at market?"

"I'll only slow you down," the boy sighed back, slowly tearing at pieces of bread. "I'm sure there are many places you want to show them today. I'll just get in your way."

"These places aren't going anywhere, you know," Hans countered the boy. "We can show the girls whatever we miss next weekend, when you're feeling better, and you can be there both times."

"I don't think it's that simple," the boy countered, having already prepared himself a cup and trying to be discrete about smelling it too greedily.

"Hey," Julia munched before swallowing, "you guys wouldn't happen to have a stroller by any chance, would you?"

Frau Edelstein hummed over her shoulder. "Are you asking for Moni?"

"Well, I'm sure we'll have to use it for _some_ reason." She rolled her eyes directly at her bespectacled foster brother, whose face was slowly turning red.

"Just go without me," Roderich insisted, glaring back at Julia and trying to ground his voice. "It'll be easier on all of you."

The tension in the air risked turning into something uglier, until Herr Edelstein opened up to speak.

"If you insist on staying home, Roddli, then you should stay home," he said, seeping some of the steam out of the conversation, "though you should know we miss your company."

"No handler wants to talk to a grump anyway," Hans mumbled, which earned him a sharp tug on the ear from his mother.

"Is there anything you would like us to get for you?" She asked.

"I may need another violin bow," Rod observed, this time having cooled down and sunken into a seat. "I seem to have misplaced mine."

"Nah, Moni and I found it last night," Julia peeped up. "Though it looks like you'll probably need a new one anyway, and a case, if you leave them all like that. Nope, no worries, Rupert. I'll pick one out for you today, get you something cool."

The quiet laugh that escaped him as he put down his bread was not the good-humored laugh it tried to be, especially as the boy's face reddened again. "You know, maybe I wasn't clear the other 20 or so times I mentioned it to you. My _name_ is _Roderich_. Not Rupert. Not Robbie. Not Rodney - _just_ Roderich. How is that so hard to grasp?"

"Oh, it's not," she countered in amusement, slowly twirling the pancaked fork in her hand. "It's called teasing, Roddy Boy. If you lighten up and stop being a funny, little spaz, maybe I'll do less of it."

Before anyone could intercede and derail the conversation, Rod's mouth moved faster than his thoughts. "Who are you calling little? I'm bigger than you."

The East German girl released a mocking laugh. "Psh! _Taller_ than me! By a couple of centis, at that. Not really the same. And you don't act like it, so there. Just eat your breakfast, baby bro."

With a tight lip and hard brow, Roderich stood up quickly and pushed in his chair, snatching up his bread and mug before huffing upstairs. While he tried to sound polite, his stiff posture and red face betrayed him. "Have a good time out today. I'll see you all later."

"You will see me in ten minutes in your room," Herr Edelstein called up after him.

"Yeah, _your_ room!" Julia jeered after him. "Not _our_ room!"

Herr Edelstein directed his stern gaze at Julia, who shrank slightly under it before looking around somewhat confused. 

"What?" The East German scoffed. "I was only teasing."

"Julia," Frau Edelstein shook her head, "I'm not sure if you meant any harm, but even if you didn't, you should know that Roddli can be a little... sensitive. He is rather delicate."

"Oh, well, then Moni is gonna have to help him learn to toughen up, ja Moni? We teach him how to dodge the landmines together?"

All Moni did was continue to eat, though the child had a weary sort of look in her eyes - one that almost made the group wonder if the child was in slight judgement of her older sister.

Julia just continued to smile at the girl. "Ja, Moni's so tough, you guys. I can't even remember the last time she cried. Absolutely fearless. If anyone can show him, it's her. She could even push the stroller for Specs, if he were coming."

"That's another thing," Herr Edelstein interrupted. "I understand you and Roddli are still getting used to each other and you're still figuring out your boundaries. I'm just reminding you both to be respectful, even if you're upset with each other. Roddli takes his health and his things very seriously, as you've probably noticed, so I would rather you not stir him over them."

The East German sounded uneasy as she ate more of her pancakes. "Aaaah, okay," Julia shrugged. "I can try, I guess. Teasing kind of gives me life, but I'll work on it."

"Please," Herr Edelstein nodded, and noticed Julia shifting in her seat and picking at her food. He sighed before sounding a little warmer, putting his coffee down. "You're not in trouble. Just... ease up, okay. Is there anything I should know about this morning before I go up?"

"Yeah, tell him we didn't actually wake up to screaming every morning in Berlin."


	6. Growing Pains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Herr Edelstein has a stern talk with his youngest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the original plan was to have had this ready by Father’s Day, but here we are...

Herr Edelstein ascended the stairwell and stopped himself from walking too far. He would be the first to admit, however, in this state of change he didn’t know where his youngest would take refuge. He tried to be optimistic and guess the boy was in his new room, clearing his throat as he knocked. 

He was wrong. In a moment, he heard the door down the hallway open and saw his youngest cling to it. The child may have been weary, but Herr Edelstein was unsure of exactly what caused it.

“I brought up some marmalade and a little more bread. I would have brought more coffee, but-“

Rod reached for the bread and started to stuff it before his father even had time to finish his thought. The old man nearly laughed over it. “Well, slow down. I don’t want you to _actually_ get sick.”

The boy stopped himself mid-bite and slowly teared his piece away, all the while looking between the floor and up at his father in shame.

“So now that I know it wasn’t my assistant baker’s cooking, would you care to tell me what’s making you ill?”

After a hard swallow, Roderich nearly mumbled the thought into his bread. “Why would I tell you something you already know?”

“How would you know I know it?” Herr Edelstein shrugged, gesturing toward the room. “Besides, you’re thirteen. A lot of things could be bothering you. I can’t assume.”

Sinking into a sigh, Roderich entered back into the room and sat on what was once his bed. “It’s quite simple, really. She’s impossible.”

His father observed him by the door. “Which one?”

The boy’s scoff shot him upright for a second before he leant on one of his arms. “The one who actually talks like she’s speaking for two people, maybe?”

“Roddli, you’ve only known her a day. Barely that. Not nearly enough time to get used to a person.”

At this point, the boy was back up to sitting again. “You think I want to ‘get used’ to this kind of behavior?” Roderich argued, his frustration becoming more apparent. “The way she talks to me and treats me and my things? If this were any other situation, you wouldn’t expect me to take this lying down, would you?”

“No,” his father admitted, remaining poised even as he approached the foot of the bed, “but she’s not a bully I’m asking you to stand up to. She’s your sister, and I’m asking you to be patient with her. She’s trying very hard to make a good impression.”

“By picking at me? Oh, I’m so enchanted.”

The old man sighed through his nose while pursing his lips. “Neither one of you had a good introduction to the other. I understand that, but I-.”

“Why couldn’t you and Mutti have told me she was like this?” The boy held a steady, demanding gaze at his father. “What was the benefit of lying?”

Within a moment, Herr Edelstein’s tone became more serious. “We weren’t lying.”

The boy was starting to shrink under that stern, sobering gaze. However, the hint of tears that started to seep through and fog those glasses had gotten to his father, and Herr Edelstein softened.

“Roddli,” he sat and rested a hand on the boy’s shoulder, “we can’t anticipate everything, though her eagerness doesn’t surprise me in the slightest. It’s perfectly normal.”

“I suppose, if you would call obnoxiousness eagerness,” the boy huffed, before turning away.

“She’ll settle in time. The girls haven’t even seen much yet... Please remember this is all very new for Julia and Monika. Their past couple of years have been shaky... I promise you, they’ll settle. They just need time to get comfortable.”

“Time and a few manners, at that.”

His father’s tone was good-humored, despite the way his brow furrowed. “Your mother and I can manage just fine with teaching you all manners, thank you. Lesson number one: it’s rude to turn your back to someone while you’re having a conversation.” With gentle guidance, Roderich reluctantly turned around, all the while trying to keep his head turned away.

“Lesson number two,” Herr Edelstein coaxed the boy’s chin to facing him, all the while with Roderich looking to the floor. The old man stifled a laugh upon removing the glasses from Roderich’s face. “It’s rude to take someone else’s things without permission, even if they’re not using them.”

“Lesson three: no one said thinking of other people would be easy, but it’s rude not to. And your mother and I wouldn’t be asking you to do something if we didn’t think you could.”


End file.
